Billy Crystal shocks viewers with ‘hug a black woman’ gag at Oscars

Oscars host
Billy Crystal left some viewers appalled during last night’s ceremony after making a string of jokes at the expense of black performers.

Billy Crystal’s routine included a sequence in which he dressed up as movie legend Sammy Davis Jr – leaving some viewers outraged (Picture: Getty Images)

The 63-year-old funnyman, who was hosting the show for the ninth time, first raised eyebrows during an opening number in which he donned black make-up to play legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.

Although he has previously poked fun at Davis Jr on the sketch show Saturday Night Live, Twitter users were not amused by his Oscars skit, which was part of a 1920s-set sketch paying tribute to best picture nominee Midnight In Paris.

However he sparked further outrage after Octavia Spencer won the best supporting actress prize for her role in civil rights drama The Help.

‘After I saw The Help I just wanted to hug the first black woman I saw,’ Crystal joked, ‘which from Beverly Hills is about a 45-minute drive.’

Actor Paul Scheer soon made his feelings known on Twitter, saying: ‘Octavia Spencer’s win shows how far we’ve come since Billy Crystal performed in blackface.’

An emotional Octavia Spencer won the best supporting actress prize for The Help (Picture: Getty Images)

And another tweeter remarked:‘BillyCrystal‘s race jokes don’t work, and I don’t even think they would have worked in 1991, when they were conceived.’

However not everybody appeared to be offended by the comedian’s remarks, with many also taking to the microblogging site to defend him.

‘I loveBillyCrystal. This is the first time in at least 5 years that I’ve enjoyed and been entertained by the oscars,’ one tweeter said.

Another pointed out: ‘Billy Crystal has been doing blackface since the 1980s… and Sammy laughed.’

Crystal also took potshots at some of the older Oscar nominees, including 82-year-olds Max Von Sydow and Christopher Plummer, both of whom were shortlisted for best supporting actor.

It was the first time the comedian had hosted the Oscars since 2004, stepping in after previous presenter Eddie Murphy pulled out.